Ban Red-Light and Speed Cameras in D.C.: Good or Bad Idea?

By Sharon McLoone

Do you love or hate speed and red-light cameras in the District?

A U.S. freshman lawmaker, Republican Rep. Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan, is drafting a bill that would ban or restrict the use of these cameras specifically in Washington, D.C. 

Bentivolio’s office has been circulating the draft, according to the Washington Post, but its final details have not been worked out yet.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a news release saying it’s a local matter, and federal lawmakers should stay out of D.C. business.

“Traffic laws here and everywhere else in the U.S. are local safety matters…written by local elected officials, not members of Congress who are unaccountable to D.C. residents,” she said.

The nation’s capital enjoyed more than $84 million in revenue from the speed and red-light cameras in fiscal 2012, according to the Post report. About $13 million came from just the red-light cameras, according to AAA.

During the first three months of 2012, more than 3,200 fines for running red lights were issued at Alexandria's three camera-monitored intersections, something a police spokesman at the time called "alarming."

Do you think they make the streets safer, or are they just a way to fatten city coffers?